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From: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content...svc=7&cxcat=11
Count Trista Joy Lathern’s husband and co-workers among those who now feel misled and betrayed by her alleged pretense that she had breast cancer and was undergoing the rigors of chemotherapy.
Lathern, 24, formerly of Robinson, was arrested Wednesday on theft by deception charges after authorities say she lied about her medical condition, watched as friends raised $10,000 for her at a benefit and then reportedly spent the proceeds on breast-augmentation surgery.
Lathern, who remains free on bail, was arrested again Friday morning on a 2-year-old misdemeanor warrant charging her with theft by check. The warrant was issued in May 2007 in her maiden name, Trista Joy Fabianke, and county jail officials let her bond out Wednesday without realizing there was another warrant for her arrest.
Lathern, who is living now with her grandparents in Beverly Hills, and her attorney, Phil Frederick, both declined comment.
As news of Lathern’s apparent deception spread, cancer support groups and others trying to raise money to help people with real illnesses said they were saddened. While they said they remain hopeful that there won’t be a fundraising backlash, some say they have already seen small ripples from those who have heard about Lathern.
“I can tell you that there has already been a backlash,†said Debbie Rogers, who organized a benefit Saturday for her friend, Sharon Stansel, a former Texas Youth Commission guard who suffers from a severe liver disorder and Hepatitis C.
“You know how you can read people? Some people I have approached for help just say they are not interested in helping with individuals anymore, and I figured that the Trista Lathern thing was going around already. I have been getting that old, distant stare, the look of somebody who has been burned with this before,†Rogers said.
According to court records, Lathern told sheriff’s office investigator James Pack that she lied about her illness, collected $10,000 at a benefit thrown for her at the Hog Creek Ice House in August and then used the money for breast implants in an attempt to save her failing, seven-month marriage. She said she also lied about chemotherapy and shaved her head to look the part of a cancer patient, Pack reported.
On the same day she was arrested, her husband, William Lathern, filed to have their marriage annulled, alleging that she induced him to get married “by fraud.†The couple married April 18 but have two sons, ages 5 and 3, together.
The annulment petition says that William Lathern, who is seeking custody of the boys, was not aware that Trista Lathern didn’t have cancer when they married or when the benefit was held.
Likewise, Trista Lathern’s co-workers at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Hewitt, where she has worked as an accounting assistant since May 27, 2008, were taken in by her reported ruse.
Judd Anstey, an AAFES spokesman in Dallas, confirmed that Lathern’s co-workers gave up vacation time and gave the hours to Lathern, whom they believed needed the time off while undergoing chemotherapy.
Anstey confirmed that the company has a leave-donation program but said he could not reveal how many employees participated or how much time was donated to Lathern because it is part of an ongoing company investigation. He said Friday that she is still employed at AAFES.
Wayne Redding, owner of Hog Creek Ice House, and Journey Meredith, who handles public service announcements for Clear Channel’s Web sites for its seven Central Texas radio stations, both said that they likely will start taking closer looks and asking more questions before hosting or running announcements for future benefits.
That is the suggestion of Phyllis Hubbard, spokeswoman for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Waco.
“I hope that people will just investigate what they are giving to,†she said. “Maybe this incident will be a red flag so they will do a little more investigating to see where their money and support are going to. It broke my heart when I read about (Lathern). It made me upset that someone would go to such extremes when all that money could have helped someone who really needed it.â€
Lathern, 24, formerly of Robinson, was arrested Wednesday on theft by deception charges after authorities say she lied about her medical condition, watched as friends raised $10,000 for her at a benefit and then reportedly spent the proceeds on breast-augmentation surgery.
Lathern, who remains free on bail, was arrested again Friday morning on a 2-year-old misdemeanor warrant charging her with theft by check. The warrant was issued in May 2007 in her maiden name, Trista Joy Fabianke, and county jail officials let her bond out Wednesday without realizing there was another warrant for her arrest.
Lathern, who is living now with her grandparents in Beverly Hills, and her attorney, Phil Frederick, both declined comment.
As news of Lathern’s apparent deception spread, cancer support groups and others trying to raise money to help people with real illnesses said they were saddened. While they said they remain hopeful that there won’t be a fundraising backlash, some say they have already seen small ripples from those who have heard about Lathern.
“I can tell you that there has already been a backlash,†said Debbie Rogers, who organized a benefit Saturday for her friend, Sharon Stansel, a former Texas Youth Commission guard who suffers from a severe liver disorder and Hepatitis C.
“You know how you can read people? Some people I have approached for help just say they are not interested in helping with individuals anymore, and I figured that the Trista Lathern thing was going around already. I have been getting that old, distant stare, the look of somebody who has been burned with this before,†Rogers said.
According to court records, Lathern told sheriff’s office investigator James Pack that she lied about her illness, collected $10,000 at a benefit thrown for her at the Hog Creek Ice House in August and then used the money for breast implants in an attempt to save her failing, seven-month marriage. She said she also lied about chemotherapy and shaved her head to look the part of a cancer patient, Pack reported.
On the same day she was arrested, her husband, William Lathern, filed to have their marriage annulled, alleging that she induced him to get married “by fraud.†The couple married April 18 but have two sons, ages 5 and 3, together.
The annulment petition says that William Lathern, who is seeking custody of the boys, was not aware that Trista Lathern didn’t have cancer when they married or when the benefit was held.
Likewise, Trista Lathern’s co-workers at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Hewitt, where she has worked as an accounting assistant since May 27, 2008, were taken in by her reported ruse.
Judd Anstey, an AAFES spokesman in Dallas, confirmed that Lathern’s co-workers gave up vacation time and gave the hours to Lathern, whom they believed needed the time off while undergoing chemotherapy.
Anstey confirmed that the company has a leave-donation program but said he could not reveal how many employees participated or how much time was donated to Lathern because it is part of an ongoing company investigation. He said Friday that she is still employed at AAFES.
Wayne Redding, owner of Hog Creek Ice House, and Journey Meredith, who handles public service announcements for Clear Channel’s Web sites for its seven Central Texas radio stations, both said that they likely will start taking closer looks and asking more questions before hosting or running announcements for future benefits.
That is the suggestion of Phyllis Hubbard, spokeswoman for Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Waco.
“I hope that people will just investigate what they are giving to,†she said. “Maybe this incident will be a red flag so they will do a little more investigating to see where their money and support are going to. It broke my heart when I read about (Lathern). It made me upset that someone would go to such extremes when all that money could have helped someone who really needed it.â€
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